![]() ![]() Each small cylinder could hold about 200 cubic feet of helium. Large cylinders could measure 40 feet long. Worthington Industries also manufactured special, high-pressure metal storage cylinders. The helium pumps came from Worthington Industries in Columbus, Ohio. The nitrogen compressors were manufactured by the Cooper-Bessemer Corporation of Vernon, Ohio. Equipment included two nitrogen compressors and two helium pumps. The compression equipment was in the Power House, along with the generators (fig. Compression also helped make the helium compact for efficient storage and shipping. Compressing the gas helped separate off any leftover nitrogen. Once extracted, purified Grade A helium had to be compressed (fig. The plant sold surplus natural gas to nearby private gas companies. The generator was located in the “Power House” (fig. The complex had its own generator to turn leftover natural gas into electricity. The leftover natural gas could be used for power, and in fact, some of the natural gas powered the Amarillo Helium Plant. Any carbon left in the helium could catch fire and explode. Purification was very important for safety. The point of the separation process was to yield pure helium. Purified Grade A helium then was packaged for shipment. To reach Grade A, the gas needed to contain 99.995% helium. Equipment in the Separation Building included dryers, heat exchangers, and charcoal filters. Next, the natural gas flowed into the “Separation Building” (shaded blue on fig. 3-3.) Equipment in these buildings stripped away carbon dioxide, water, and heavy molecules that solidified. (The Pump House site is shaded in purple on fig. After 1942, a “Pump House” with more advanced equipment replaced the CO2 Removal Building in this process (fig. Between 19, the helium first went to the “CO2 Removal Building” (shaded yellow on the 1929 site plan below, fig. First, the pipeline brought the natural gas to a specialized building. Specialized buildings and equipment at the plant supported this new process. Helium remained a gas even at this very low temperature. Temperatures needed to get as low as minus 300 degrees Fahrenheit. This made elements other than helium condense and liquify. The plant began cooling the gas at very low temperatures. After 1939, the process for purifying helium changed. Early separation techniques used charcoal filters. Separating helium from natural gas formed the core of the plant’s purpose. A pipeline connected the Amarillo Helium Plant to the Cliffside Natural Gas Field. The site selected for the Amarillo Helium Plant was only about six miles south of the Cliffside Natural Gas Field (fig. The Bureau of Mines knew that helium plants needed a source of helium-containing natural gas nearby. Scientists can separate these helium atoms from other molecules in natural gas. Some types of natural gas actually contain helium atoms, though. Relationship between Helium and the Natural Gas Industry The US Bureau of Mines worked with the Navy to make sure that the design met the plant’s needs. The US Navy began designing the plant in 1928. The design for the plant kept all these purposes in mind. Cylinders of helium then were shipped for storage or distribution using trains or trucks. Next, helium was compressed and stored in metal cylinders. To purify the helium, the plant filtered out other molecules like carbon dioxide. ![]() ![]() The main purpose of the Amarillo Helium Plant was to extract helium from natural gas (fig. National Defense and the Aerospace Industry.The Amarillo Helium Plant - Introduction.Helium Production Process and Technology Table of Contents ![]()
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